Wearable disposable covering of heat shrink film

ABSTRACT

A wearable disposable covering of heat shrink film and, more particularly, a covering for a hand or foot. It can be placed over a shoe or directly onto the foot of a wearer and is usable as a disposable bowling shoe with the covering having a first part thereof defining a sole when placed on a foot and a second part thereof shaped to fit over the top of the foot and around the heel and the covering being of a size to loosely fit onto the foot and then be tightly drawn onto the foot by application of heat to the covering.

United States Patent Larsen et al.

[451 Jan..18,1972

[54] WEARABLE DISPOSABLE COVERING OF HEAT SHRINK FILM [72] Inventors:Jack H. Larsen; Louis J. Trier, both of Muskegon; Anton W. Rytina, Grand[21] Appl. No.: 881,769

[52] U.S.Cl. [5i] lnt.Cl

..................... ..36/7.3, 36/72 C ..A43b 1/10, A4319 13/22 [56]References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,648,854 8/1953 Otsuka ..36/72CX2,924,029 2/1960 Rosen ..36/7.l R 3,283,422 11/1966 Nygard ..36/7.3 X3,419,929 1/1969 Snow et al ..l2/l A X Primary Examiner-Patrick D.Lawson Attorney-Hofgren, Wegner, Allen, Stellman & McCord [57] ABSTRACTA wearable disposable covering of heat shrink film and, moreparticularly, a covering for a hand or foot. it can be placed over ashoe or directly onto the foot of a wearer and is usable as a disposablebowling shoe with the covering having a first part thereof defining asole when placed on a foot and a second part thereof shaped to fit overthe top of the foot and around the heel and the covering being of a sizeto loosely fit onto the foot and then be tightly drawn onto the foot byapplication of heat to the covering.

1 1 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS Ashrink device for shrinking the covering disclosed herein by applicationof radiant heat energy is disclosed in the copending application ofMessrs. McLeod, Lutz and Dragone, Ser. No. 881,768, filed Dec. 3, 1969.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention pertains to disposablecoverings of heat shrink film wearable by a person for a desired use andmore particularly to an overshoe which can fit onto a street shoe ordirectly onto a foot for many uses, including use as a disposablebowling shoe.

Various types of disposable coverings for feet are used in variousfields, such as in germ-free atmospheres wherein an overshoe can be usedto enclose a street shoe. These coverings have been designed for totalenclosure of the foot and have not provided for a tight-fitting overshoetype of covering which, after desired use, can be torn off the shoe andthrown away. In the bowling field, most bowling establishments maintaina supply of rental bowling shoes which requires a substantial inventorybecause of the various sizes that must be stocked. The disposablebowling shoe disclosed herein avoids the inventory problem, since thedisposable overshoe can be stocked in a relatively small number of sizesand sold to bowlers for placement onto their street shoes or for directplacement onto a stockinged foot when the bowlers shoe is not of theproper shape for bowling. This limited number of sizes is sufficient tohandle both adult and children's shoe sizes because of the heat shrinkproperties of the film which enables the bowling overshoe to shrink tothe size of the street shoe.

The disposable overshoe also has utility for wear over street shoes forprotection thereof in inclement weather wherein the heat shrink film canhave sufficient strength and wear characteristics to maintain itsstructural integrity during use.

The disposable overshoe is constructed to either be storable in a flatcondition or in minimum space and adapts itself to a vending operationwhereby the overshoes can be purchased from a vending machine and, afterplacement on the purchaser's shoes, the overshoes can be shrunk onto thestreet shoes by application of heat as by a shrink device as disclosedin the copending application referred to above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of this invention is to provide a newand improved wearable and disposable covering for the wearer thereofwhich is constructed of relatively inexpensive heat shrink film andwhich will upon the application of heat conform to the body part of thewearer on which the covering is placed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a disposable overshoe forstreet wear or for bowling or other uses wherein the overshoe has a bodyof heat-shrinkable material having a first part thereof forming the soleof the overshoe and a second part forming the upper of the overshoe, andwith said overshoe being of a size to loosely fit onto a street shoe andbe tightly drawn onto the street shoe on application of heat.

Another object of the invention is to provide a disposable overshoe asdefined in the preceding paragraph wherein the overshoe is formed from asingle contoured sheet of film with overlapped parts sealed togetheralong their periphery while leaving an opening for insertion of a streetshoe and with additional film portions overlapped to permit expansion ofthe overshoe from a flat condition to a three-dimensional shape forfitting onto a street shoe.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a disposableovershoe formed of premolded material wherein the first and second partsare formed from separate sections of material and heat-sealed togetheralong their periphery.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a disposable overshoe asdefined in the preceding paragraphs wherein: the heat shrink film isselected to have slip properties sufficiently similar to leather wherebythe overshoe is usable in bowling; the heat shrink film is selected fromthe class of polyolefins, vinyls and polyesters; and, the film isbiaxially oriented to shrink in two directions upon the application ofheat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of afirst embodiment of the wearable disposable covering as an overshoe inflat condition prior to use;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken generally along the line 2- 2 in FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a view of the disposable covering shown in place on a streetshoe and with heat elements of a shrink device shown diagrammaticallyabout the overshoe;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the overshoe afterapplication of heat drawn tightly against a street shoe;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the inventionwhere the overshoe is formed of premolded parts;

FIG. 6 is a section taken generally along the line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the invention withthe overshoe shown in flat condition;

FIG. 8 is a section taken generally along the line 8-8 of FIG. 7 on anenlarged scale; and

FIG. 9 is a view of the overshoe of FIG. 7, shown in final position onthe street shoe of the wearer.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The first embodiment shown inFIGS. 1-4 is formed from a sheet of heat shrink film having similarlycontoured sections at both sides of a centerline extended from front torear of the overshoe and which is the line defined by the fold 10 in thematerial. The two sections are positioned in abutting relation,

as shown in FIG. 1, and a vertical heat seal line 11 along the heelsecures the sections together in the heel area and a second heat sealline 12 in the toe area of the overshoe seals the front part of thesections together. The heat seal 11 extends from a bottom point 11a to atop point llb while the heat seal 12 extends from a bottom point 12a toa top point 12b. Thus, the two contoured film sections 20 and 21 arebrought together and heat-sealed together in the general configurationof "a shoe and with the two films being free of each other along the topbetween the heat seal points llb and 12b for insertion of a foot or shoeof a wearer.

In order to provide a width for the sole portion of the overshoe, aportion of the film is overlapped and has lengths 25 and 26 at oppositesides of the fold line 10 extending for the entire length of theovershoe. These lengths are extended in coplanar relation when theovershoe is opened out to receive a street shoe and define the majorportion of the sole of the overshoe.

A wearer receives a pair of the overshoes in flat condition, as shown inFIG. 1, and opens out each overshoe and fits them over street shoes, asshown for one shoe S in FIG. 3. Heat is then applied to the overshoe, asindicated diagrammatically in FIG. 3, as by quartz lamps 30 applyingradiant heat energy to the overshoe and the overshoe shrinks downtightly onto the street shoe, as shown in FIG. 4. The details of theshrink device utilizing radiant heat energy are fully disclosed in thecopending application referred to above.

As shown in FIG. 4, the film lengths 25 and 26 are beneath the streetshoe forming a sole for the overshoe, while the film portions to eitherside of the seal 12 form a first part which is the upper for theovershoe overlying the toe area and the rearward portions of the filmsections 20 and 21 extend around the heel and counter of the shoe.

Preferably, the heat shrink film is chosen from the class ofpolyolefins, vinyls and polyesters and is biaxially oriented to shrinkin two directions upon the application of heat to be drawn down fairlytightly against the street shoe and avoid any cumbersome addition to thestreet shoe. Tests have shown that such materials have suitable slipcharacteristics whereby the overshoe can form a disposable bowling shoefor use by bowlers without requiring the conventional bowling shoe. Thefilm can be opaque or have decorative effects, as desired, to provide apleasing appearance. The particular strength of the film can be selecteddependent upon the use to be made of the overshoe and with the properfilm selection permitting use of the overshoe as a protector for streetshoes when required for inclement weather.

The second embodiment of the wearable disposable covering is shown inFIGS. 5 and 6 and is formed of two parts which are separate pieces 40and 41, with the upper piece 40 having a top opening 42. In thisembodiment, pieces 40 and 41 can be premolded to the generally desiredshape and thus this overshoe has a fair degree of rigidity. The twopieces 40 and 41 are heat-sealed around the entire perimeter of theovershoe by heat sealing of abutting edges 45 and 46 of the respectivepieces 40 and 41. A tab 47 extends from the rear of the overshoe tofacilitate placement of the overshoe onto a street shoe and also tofacilitate withdrawal or removal of the overshoe. The overshoe shown inthe embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6 is sufficiently large to easily fit ontoa street shoe and then upon application of heat is drawn down onto thestreet shoe for use. The piece 41 forms the sole area of the overshoe,while the piece 40 forms the upper of the overshoe and extends over thetoe area as well as around the heel of a foot and the counter of astreetshoe. The overshoe of this embodiment can be made of the same materialsreferred to in the first embodiment and similarly can have desiredcolors or decorative treatment. This embodiment shows a slight waffling49 on the undersurface of the sole portion as an optional variation fordesired surface characteristics of the overshoe.

The third embodiment is shown in FIGS. 7-9 and has parts 50 and 51formed from a single contoured sheet of film with both parts beingsimilarly contoured about a line 52 defined by a fold in the materialextending transversely of the overshoe. The contoured parts are broughtinto overlapping relation and heat-sealed together at their periphery toform a heat seal line 55 extending around the toe and to the rear of theovershoe terminating at points 55a and 55b. The part 50 defines theupper of the overshoe and has an opening 56 for insertion of the streetshoe, indicated generally at S. The overshoe is shown in flat conditionin FIG. 7 and with overlapped film sections 58 and 59 extending from thefold line 52 and which have their outer edges sealed by the heat sealline 55. When the overshoe is opened, the film sections 58 and 59provide a height for the overshoe whereby the back part of the overshoecan span the counter of the street shoe S and with a part 60 being atthe level ofthe shoe edge as shown in FIG. 9.

The disposable overshoes made and tested have been found to havesatisfactory strength using a film of 4 mil thickness. With theembodiments of the types shown in FIGS. S-9, it is possible to have twodifferent films or two different film thicknesses used in constructingthe disposable overshoe with a thicker and longer wearing film formingthe sole and the upper being formed of a thinner film and with the twofilms being each sealed throughout their periphery. In the embodiment ofFIG. 7, a further heat seal would be made across the back.

With the structures disclosed herein, it is possible to easily store aquantity of the disposable coverings and vend them automatically ifdesired. A wearer applies them and then operates a heat shrink device toshrink the covering to a final fit. It will be evident that a disposablecovering is disclosed herein for the terminal part of a person's limb,such as a foot, and wherein the covering can be made of heat shrink filmhaving properties including thickness, color and decoration for thedesired purpose, and which can readily be vended and selfapplied by awearer.

We claim:

1. A disposable overshoe for placement over a street shoe comprising, abody of heat-shrinkable material having a first part thereof shaped tounderlie and extend up the sides of the sole of a street shoe and asecond part thereof shaped to fit over the toe, along the sides andaround the counter of the shoe, said first and second parts being joinedalong their peripheries; said overshoe being of a size and contour toloosely fit onto a street shoe and upon application of heat beingtightly drawn onto the street shoe with said first portion substantiallyflat across the bottom of said street shoe.

2. A disposable overshoe as defined in claim I wherein said material hasslip characteristics generally similar to leather.

3. A disposable overshoe as defined in claim I wherein said material isbiaxially oriented film to shrink in two directions.

4. A disposable overshoe as defined in claim 1 wherein said material isselected from the class of polyolefins, vinyls and polyesters.

5. A disposable overshoe as defined in claim 1 with said first andsecond parts are comprised of heat-shrinkable materials having differentwear characteristics.

6. A disposable overshoe as defined in claim 4 wherein said first andsecond parts are separate pieces formed of premolded material.

7. A disposable overshoe as defined in claim 4 wherein said first partextends up the back of the heel of the street shoe to sufficientlyimpart height to the overshoe and joins said second part in the area ofthe heel of the street shoe.

8. A disposable overshoe for use in bowling or for other foot-coveringpurposes by placement onto the foot of a wearer comprising, a body ofheat shrink film having a first part to form the sole of the overshoeand a second part forming the upper of the overshoe, said body beingformed from a single sheet of film having similarly contoured sectionsat both sides of a centerline extending from front to rear, saidsections being positioned in abutting relation and heat-sealed togetherup the toe and counter portions of the overshoe, said sole portion beingfoldable from toe to heel whereby said overshoe can be folded and storedin a flat condition.

9. A disposable overshoe as defined in claim 8 wherein said material hasslip characteristics generally similar to leather.

10. A disposable overshoe as defined in claim 8 wherein said film isbiaxially oriented to shrink in two directions.

11. A disposable overshoe as defined in claim 8 wherein said film isselected from the class of polyolefins, vinyls and polyesters.

1. A disposable overshoe for placement over a street shoe comprising, abody of heat-shrinkable material having a first part thereof shaped tounderlie and extend up the sides of the sole of a street shoe and asecond part thereof shaped to fit over the toe, along the sides andaround the counter of the shoe, said first and second parts being joinedalong their peripheries; said overshoe being of a size and contour toloosely fit onto a street shoe and upon application of heat beingtightly drawn onto the street shoe with said first portion substantiallyflat across the bottom of said street shoe.
 2. A disposable overshoe asdefined in claim 1 wherein said material has slip characteristicsgenerally similar to leather.
 3. A disposable overshoe as defined inclaim 1 wherein said material is biaxially oriented film to shrink intwo directions.
 4. A disposable overshoe as defined in claim 1 whereinsaid material is selected from the class of polyolefins, vinyls andpolyesters.
 5. A disposable overshoe as defined in claim 1 with saidfirst and second parts are comprised of heat-shrinkable materials havingdifferent wear characteristics.
 6. A disposable overshoe as defined inclaim 4 wherein said first and second parts are separate pieces formedof premolded material.
 7. A disposable overshoe as defined in claim 4wherein said first part extends up the back of the heel of the streetshoe to sufficiently impart height to the overshoe and joins said secondpart in the area of the heel of the street shoe.
 8. A disposableovershoe for use in bowling or for other foot-covering purposes byplacement onto the foot of a wearer comprising, a body of heat shrinkfilm having a first part to form the sole of the overshoe and a secondpart forming the upper of the overshoe, said body being formed from asingle sheet of film having similarly contoured sections at both sidesof a centerline extending from front to rear, said sections beingpositioned in abutting relation and heat-sealed together up the toe andcounter portions of the overshoe, said sole portion being foldable fromtoe to heel whereby said overshoe can be folded and stored in a flatcondition.
 9. A disposable overshoe as defined in claim 8 wherein saidmaterial has slip characteristics generally similar to leather.
 10. Adisposable overshoe as defined in claim 8 wherein said film is biaxiallyoriented to shrink in two directions.
 11. A disposable overshoe asdefined in claim 8 wherein said film is selected from the class ofpolyolefins, vinyls and polyesters.